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N. B( '8: E. M. HELPER. Kilnfpr Burning Brick, Pottery, 8L0.

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Patented Mar, 16.1880.

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N. B. 8: E. M.'H EAFER. Kiln for Burning Brick, Pottery, &c.

No. 225,598. Patented. Mar. 16,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NAPOLEON B. HEAFERAND EDGAR M. HEAFER, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILL.

K|LN FOR BURNING BRICK, POTTERY, 80C.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 225,598, dated March 16,1880.

- Application filed September 12, 1879. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatwe, NAPOLEON B. HEAFER and EDGAR M. HEAFER, of the cityof Bloomington, in the county of McLean, and in the State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kilns for BurningBrick, Pottery, 850.; and We do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, and to the let- .ters of reference markedthereon, making a part of this specification.

Figure 1 represents aside View of our improved kiln; Fig. 2, atransverse section; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section; Fig. 4, a horizontalsection.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in kilnsfor burning tile, brick, pottery, or any other clay wares, having forits object the production of a downdraft kiln with hollow walls employedas I chimneys or outlets for the products of combustion; and theinvention consists in a novel construction of kiln, all as will behereinafter fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims. I

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill now proceed to describe the 'exact manner in which it is carriedout.

In the drawings, A A represent the outer side walls, B B the double orhollow end walls, and C the arched top, of our improved kiln.

D represents a series of sub lire-arches or arch-furnaces, constructedoutside of and running through the side Walls, A A, thus obviat= ing thetaking up of room inside of the kiln, and thereby leaving all of theinside room for the reception of the ware to be burned.

E E represent permanent interior vertical bag or fire walls, arranged ata suitable distance inward from the side walls, A A, for the purpose ofpreventing the fire from passing directly into the kiln horizontally,but causing it to pass upward through the spaces left between the sideand fire or bag walls.- The bag or fire walls may be solid, orcheckered, or perforated, part or all of their height, it beingpreferable, however, to have said walls perforated from the top towithin two or three inches from the bottom or foundation of the kiln.The bag or fire walls may extend up to the arched top 0, in which casethe fire or products of combustion would have to pass through theperforations in said walls or, if

deemed preferable, the walls might only extend upward far enough toleave spaces between their top surfaces and the arched top,communicating with the spaces between the walls A and E.

F represents the bottom of the kiln, upon which the ware to be burned isplaced. This bottom is provided with a series of transverse flues, f,which communicate with a longitudinal central tunnel, G, extending theentire length of the kiln, and the ends of which communicate with endtransverse flues, c e, which, in turn, communicate, through perforations(1, near the bottom of the hollow walls, with the spaces between saidend walls, which form chimneys or outlets for the products ofcombustion.

These hollow end walls constitute the essential feature of the kiln, andthey may be built large or small, as may be deemed expedient, accordingto the size of the kiln.

It is necessary to extend the end walls above the arched top of thekiln, for the purpose of obtaining sufficient draft when'the fires arefirst started in the furnaces D.

The spaces between the end walls may be closed at intervals at the top,so as to form two or more separate fines or chimneys, H, as clearlyshown in Fig. 1, so as to limit the escape of the products of combustionto some particular locality in the end walls; or the chimneys may bearranged at the corners, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2; or thechimneys may be arranged both at the corners and at the sides of theentrance-doors I I.

The hollow end walls may have an entrancedoor in one end and not in theother, or in both ends, as may be deemed expedient, and, whether one ofthe end walls has an entrancedoor in it or not, the said wall may form abroad flat chimney through its entire width and thickness, contracted ornot at the top or outlet; or it may be contracted so as to have oneormore outlets in the center of said end wall or toward the corners of thekiln.

h represents peep-holes, closed by plugs h extending through the outerportion of the end walls into the interior space thereof, for thepurpose of inspecting the condition, inasmuch as the color produced bythe heat passing through the chimneys will indicate the intensity of theheat Within the kiln.

The ends of the longitudinal tunnel G are closed when the kiln is inoperation.

A direct connection may be made of the ends of the tunnel G and thehollow end walls, so that the products of combustion may enter thehollow walls from the extremities of said tunnel, instead of travelingthrough the flues e e to seek the perforations d, communicating withsaid end walls; and, if deemed expedient, the perforations 61 might beclosed or left open, leaving the products of combustion to choose theirown course.

Instead of employing the, cross-fluesj', leading into the tunnel G,diminutive longitudinal fiues might be used leading more or lessdirectly to the hollow end walls,and which might be used either with orwithout said tunnel G; or, where they could not be made to lead directlyto the hollow end walls, cross-fines might be used to complete theconnection.

The operation of our improved kiln is as follows: The heat is generatedin the fire-arches D, and passes into the kiln with a tendency, to someextent, of enterin g abruptlyinto the ware, which is between the bag orfire walls E E; but the fire is obstructed by said walls E and caused topass upward (some of it escaping through the perforations into the ware,if the perforations are employed) until it arrives at or near the top ofthe bag or fire walls, when it whirls over the said walls, and thenbegins its moreover, is greatly accelerated by the flames in theinterior of the kiln playing against the inner surface of the end walls,intensely heating them, and hence more rapidly creating the vacuum andresulting draft.

All ware can be burned in such akiln, whether it be brick, tile, orpottery, .and with uniformity of hardness and without loss fromcrippling.

We are aware that interior fire-walls are common in down-draft kilns,and also tunnels under said kilns communicating with the escape fines orchimneys,. and such we do not wish to be understood as claiming,broadly, as our invention; but

We claim as our invention- 1. In a down-draft kiln, the combination,with the side walls, A A, and permanent interior fire-walls. E E, of thehollow end walls, B B, employed for the escape of the products ofcombustion, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In a down-draft kiln, the combination of the furnaces D, outer sidewalls, A A, permanent interior fire-walls, E E, fiues f, tunnel G, andthe hollow end walls, B B, substantially as and for the purpose hereinshown and described.

3. In a brick, tile, or pottery kiln, the hollow end walls provided withpeep-holes h, extending through the outer portions of said walls,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a down-draft kiln, the combination of the outer side walls, A A,furnaces 1), constructed outside of and running through said side walls,permanent interior fire or bag walls, E E, arranged parallel with theside walls, and fines arranged in the end walls on opposite sides of theentrances to the kiln, substantially as and for the purpose herein shownand described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our handsthis 4th day of September, 1879.

NAPOLEON B. HEAFER. EDGAR M. HEAFER.

Witnesses:

Tnos. SLADE, O. G. BRADSHAW.

